Last weekend a couple of my sisters, my mom, and I headed to Salt Lake City for the 135 Fine Art Show at the Sugar House Garden Center. We all have an interest in art (though most of us don’t know much about it!), and the structure of this show sounded cool: Artists would be selling original works for $100, $300, and $500, but many of them had larger pieces with bigger price tags too. It was nice to have an idea about prices before making the trip.
In total, my family bought four pieces. I bought two by Lynne Millar, who I’ve been following for quite a while—her paintings are so happy, and I love the varying texture of the paint. Her work looked even better in person! I’m planning to hang her paintings in my kitchen. One of my sisters bought another piece by Millar, and another bought a painting by J. Kirk Richards.
If you’re new to the art scene too, here are a few artists (most of them featured at the 135 Show) you might like to follow on Instagram:
@janethillstudio (one of my favorites!)
Also, Pencil & Paper Co. hosts pop-up sales for artists, and I’ve been following along with those. Check out one of them here.
It’s so inspiring to see fine art by real artists. The first time I did was in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and I was surprised that it ended up being one of my very favorite sites in our nation’s capital. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to slowly collect original art for my own home. I’m convinced that real paintings add character and richness to a home, and even though I’m new to this scene, I’m interested in learning more.
I talked to a family friend at the show who is an interior designer for a big firm in Salt Lake. I asked if she attends art shows to source paintings for clients, and she said most homeowners don’t understand art so they don’t request it for their own home; instead, she mostly purchases reproductions for homes she decorates. Interesting! I would think people with a lot of money to spend would want pieces no one else could have, and that’s another cool thing about original art.
Do you have a favorite artist or style of art? Do you have original art in your home? Or do you prefer prints and mass-produced canvases? If I could convince my husband, I’d love to save up and purchase amazing art as our “retirement”—enjoy it in our home, then sell it when we are old. So far, I haven’t convinced him.
Remember this post? Thoughts on (secondhand) original art. •
Boulevard West 
I LOVE what you got! Would love to see their final home in your house.
I’m also a sucker for original art. Because they are more expensive, we tend to get small to medium size pieces, but I dream of getting an amazing oversized piece one day. For me, part of the reason I enjoy the art more is the memories of when and where we found them. One of the reasons I’m itching to get into an actual house is some fresh wall space that needs art!
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